woman at therapist's office in session

Cognitive Therapy in 2020: A Life Hack for Feeling Better

happy young woman

Looking for life hacks?

A lot of us these days are constantly tuning in to life hacks, a series of actions to take that will ostensibly make our lives easier.

The stresses we face can take a toll on our well-being. Stressors are present no matter where you are. xxx

If you think that these things get unmanageable at times, then congitive therapy may help.

Cognitive Therapy and How It Stays Relevant

woman in treatment for cognitive therapyCognitive therapy was developed in the 1960s and has stayed relevant through even now.

It’s also often referred to as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or CBT.

This method of talk therapy, developed by a psychologist named Aaron Beck, has been honed over the years.

Today, cognitive therapy continues to change people’s lives for the better. The methods used in cognitive therapy work on the assumption that different aspects of a person are interconnected.

Humans have emotions, thought processes, perceptions and behaviours. Cognitive therapy addresses these aspects to bring about change. – through steps taken in a tangible action plan

Specifically, it helps identify negativity in these aspects and modifies them to bring positive change.

The Issues That Cognitive Therapy Can Address

Cognitive therapy primarily focuses on negative thoughts and emotions. These factors are targeted and modified for the well-being of the person in question. Since cognitive therapy operates on essential processes, it can significantly impact a person’s life. Some of the most common issues that cognitive therapy can address are the following:

Low self-esteem

man with depression suffers in dark

People with low self-esteem have specific experiences, thought processes, and ideas that bring about their self-image. Cognitive therapy can help address these factors that bring about low self-esteem.

Negative thoughts and emotions

All people have negative thoughts and emotions once in a while. These things can be detrimental to one’s well-being if present in excess. Unfortunately, not all people have the skills to deal with negativity. Cognitive therapy can help in doing so.

Self-harm

A person can inflict self-harm both deliberately and subconsciously. The impact of these actions on one’s well-being increase as time passes. These impacts are wide-ranging, from physical to mental effects. Addressing the issue of self-harm is a crucial task that cognitive therapy can do.

Mental and emotional health issues

Therapists have been using cognitive therapy for addressing mental and emotional health issues for years to significant effect. Cognitive therapy can fix a problem with mental or emotional roots. Thus, this method can be beneficial.

Most notably, cognitive therapy is quite useful for:

  • woman with depression on couch at therapist officedepression
  • anxiety
  • PTSD
  • bipolar disorders
  • sleep disorders
  • eating disorders
  • sexual disorders

 

Hundreds of thousands of people with these and other mental & emotional health issues over the years have benefited from CBT.

Reasons Why You Should Try Cognitive Therapy

Cognitive therapy has many benefits.

These benefits aside, cognitive therapy also has many other positive qualities that therapists recognize. These contribute to why cognitive therapy is still widely used more than half a century after its inception.

If you are facing issues similar to what we have mentioned above, then cognitive therapy may be for you. Some of the reasons why you should try it out are the following:

1.      The process is effective

Cognitive therapy brings about change through a series of steps. Some of the steps include the following:

  • woman at therapist's office in sessionRecognize and Identify: The therapist will first help in identifying the underlying problems. Recognizing problems can be rather tricky, and this is an issue that this step will address.
  • Assess: With the help of the therapist, the person undergoing therapy will assess the impact of the problems. More specifically, how the problem affects the different aspects of life will be evaluated. The typical responses of a person to these problems will also be assessed.
  • Modification: With the problems identified and the responses assessed, addressing the negativity can be. The problematic aspects that a person struggles with will be targeted and changed for the better. Negative thoughts, behaviours, and emotions are all targeted for change.
  • Processing: A person will gain many useful skills during the process of cognitive therapy. These can help address other past issues and prevent ones from worsening in the future.

 

These steps are necessary for helping a person address the issues that need addressing.

2.      It’s relatively fast

man on sidewalk smilesCognitive therapy returns results at a relatively quicker rate compared to other methods currently available.

A usual cycle of cognitive therapy has fewer sessions.

Besides, the effects may be felt even after just a few sessions with a therapist.

3.      It is a healthy and active method

Cognitive therapy is very hands-on. It involves actively identifying problem areas and looking for the best way to change them for the better.

It is more effective compared to just passively waiting for the issues to resolve themselves.

Cognitive therapy is also a healthy way of dealing with problems. There are very few drawbacks to using this method, and few risks are involved.

Even better, cognitive therapy encourages and reinforces positivity.

One’s well-being is not compromised, while positive changes are brought about by these methods.

4.      It brings about changes for the better

Cognitive therapy focuses on positive solutions to negative thoughts and emotions. Some of these benefits are as follows:

  • Reducing the frequency and impact of negative thoughts and emotions
  • Management of negativity
  • Prevent future self-harm
  • Avoidance skills regarding triggers and things that can cause negativity
  • Reinforcement of positivity

 

The modification of negativity not only helps a person’s current state. It also brings about changes that are beneficial for the future.

Cognitive Therapy is a Life Hack that Anyone Can Benefit from

Cognitive therapy is a healthy way of making sure that you can strive toward being your best self.

This method has been carefully honed these past decades and continues to be relevant today. If you want to gain the benefits of this useful little life hack, then seek the advice of a licensed therapist.

Capital Choice Counseling has been serving Kanata, Ottawa, Stittsville, Barrhaven, Orleans, Nepean and other areas in the National Capital Region since 2006.

Book an appointment today with one of our therapists who is well-versed in cognitive therapy.